The Bat Or The Clown?
by Kinetic Organ
Summary: After over a year of a criminal lifestyle with The Joker, Harleen Quinzel finally returns home to her boyfriend before all of that: Bruce Wayne. But will all the secrets and betrayls be too much for them and will Harleen be able to adjust to normal life after everything she was made to do? How long until it all catches up with them? Based on an ongoing roleplay I am doing.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Midnight in Gotham; it was always pitch black, always quiet except for maybe the occasional car alarm or police siren. Not this time. As Batman got closer and closer to the Bank of Gotham the alarm that only sounded if the security had been breached grew louder and louder. He'd gotten the call only a few minutes prior that The Joker and Harley Quinn had broken and were stealing everything they could get. He and Jim both knew that he could get there well before the GCPD. Whatever Joker was planning to do with all that money, they couldn't let him get away again.

Batman parked the Batmobile in an alleyway just next to the bank, the red flashing lights bouncing off the walls from the alarms. He jumped out of the car and entered the bank by diving through a window to the side of the building. He knew that the front door would be too obvious, he was going up against Joker after all. As he stood up fully in the pile of broken glass he'd created he saw that everything even remotely valuable in the bank had been taken. He couldn't see any trace of them so he decided to go to the vault, he knew he'd find them there. He had to break down a few doors to get to the vault, presumably Harley had locked them to buy them a few extra seconds, Joker would never try to prevent the inevitable like that. He found the vault door wide open. The Joker was sat on a table, smiling as he watched Harley filling the bags they'd brought with as many dollar bills as they could carry. The clown's head whipped around when he heard the door open and grinned at him widely, showing his teeth. "Bats, nice of you to join us. Harley and I were just making a quick withdrawal and then we'll be on our way, okay?" He stood up, chuckling a little and pulling a knife out from under his sleeve and staring Batman down. Harley came strolling out of the vault holding the large bag over her shoulder, completely oblivious to what was going on. "Puddin, I can't carry any more, this is all we can get. Oh..." she gasped as she saw Batman glaring at them. "Nice to see you again Batsy" she giggled and looked to her boyfriend, who turned to her, taking the bag off her "Entertain him for a while, my dear, I'm going to look for a way out". He kissed her and she giggled, turning to Batman and brandishing her signature baseball bat. Joker ran out of the room with the bag, laughing as he went and leaving the two of them alone.

"Long time no see Batsy...missed ya" she held her bat up and walked towards him, taking a swing which he easily blocked. He grabbed the bat and yanked it out of her grip, she never did stand a chance to him physically. He threw the bat to the side and began to hear sirens in the distance: the GCPD were nearly here. "Don't make me hurt you Harley" he growled at her and she merely giggled in response "Aww Batsy, I didn't know you cared". Unexpectedly to him, she used her skills as a gymnast to sweep his legs out from underneath him using her own leg. As he fell down, The Joker appeared in the doorway, saying "We can get away from the rooftop Harley...come on". They ran through the door together and Batman heard the GCPD breach through the front door and footsteps coming up the stairs to the vault room. He couldn't wait for them. He climbed to his feet quickly and ran after them up the flights of stairs that led to the roof. Harley had barricaded the door that led onto the rooftop which meant that he took a few seconds to break it down. When he got onto the rooftop he saw them both running across the rooftop, they were going to try to jump to the next rooftop. The next building had had metal railing that Batman measured would probably come up to around his stomach in height, if they jumped correctly then they'd be able to grab it to support them as they jumped. Joker was a little ahead of Harley as she had spent time barricading the door. He began to chase after them and launched one, two, three batarangs in their direction, none of them hitting their mark. As the Joker leaped to the next building, making it and grabbing onto the railing, a dozen cops with guns joined them in the rooftop.

Bullets quickly began to fly through the air towards the Joker, who evidently wasn't waiting for his girlfriend as he took off across the next roof while she hadn't even jumped yet. "Quinn, give it up!" Batman bellowed to her as he chased. He heard more gunshots behind him as the jester prepared to make the jump to the next building. She turned around to childishly stick her tongue out at him and as she did so, a stray bullet hit her in the shoulder. She helped in pain and turned around, desperate to escape with her Mr J. However, the pain from the gunshot meant she couldn't concentrate on the leap and she misjudged, one hand clutching at her bloody shoulder. As she leaped through the air, she fell forward and her head crashed hard into the metal railing, sending her falling the long distance down to the ground below, unconscious. Batman pulled out his radio as he ran and yelled into it "Jim, I've got Harley...you go after Joker" he put it away and dived over the side of the rooftop, streamlining his body in order to catch up to the falling woman. As e ground quickly rushed up to meet them, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and his cape opened up, slowing their descent and allowing them to land safely on the ground.

When they hit the ground, he took her out from underneath his cape to inspect the wound. She was still unconscious and gushing blood from her shoulder, he'd have to stitch it quickly before the blood loss became serious or even life threatening. He took his cape off and wrapped it tightly around her, it was the most he could do to stem the flow before he got her back to the cave. When she was wrapped in the material he lifted her over his shoulder and carried her back to the car. He sat her up in the passenger seat and started the car. She rolled over slightly and leant against the door, stirring slightly.

He couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain at seeing her like this, not after what they'd been through...how much he'd loved her, how much he still loved her. He thought back to just over a year ago, when Bruce Wayne had been dating Harleen Quinzel. She'd started as a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum just after they got together, he was so proud of her. They weren't moved in together but she'd been to Wayne Manor and he'd been to her apartment a few times. They had been happy...or at least, he thought they were. She broke up with him a few months after they got together and then she broke The Joker out of Arkham a week or so later. Seeing her like this, what she'd become...it was just painful.

 _To be continued_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

She moved around in her unconscious state as the car swerved around tight bends. He hadn't seen any blood getting through the makeshift bandage so he assumed she'd be okay until he got her to the cave. Jim had already sent word that The Joker had managed to escape, he was still out there. Batman was furious with himself for not being able to catch him, not that there was anything he could've done to stop him, he needed to save Harley after all. The only thing that worried him was how pale she looked, her makeup already made her skin pale but he could see past it, the blood loss was starting to get serious. He looked up and muttered into the computer in the car: "Computer: take us home" and he took his foot off the pedal and his hands off the wheel. He inspected her and made sure she was still breathing. Her pale face was cold to the touch but she still had a pulse. The Batmobile veered off the road as it triggered one of the secret entrances to the Batcave. He held her in her seat so that she didn't move around too much, he didn't want her to do any more damage to herself while she was unconscious. The car unlocked itself when it pulled up in the cave and he carried Harley out of the car, her head against his shoulder and her pigtails dangling next to his back. He'd had a cell built in the cave for emergencies, if ever he needed to detain someone or if they needed medical treatment. He carried her inside the cell and lay her down on the bed.

She moaned a little in her sleep and stirred again. He turned around and fetched a large first aid kit from underneath the computer. He brought it to her bedside and opened it; he pulled out a sterile needle and some thread and removed his now blood soaked cape from around her shoulders and chest. After getting the bullet out of her shoulder he began to sew her wound, closing it tightly and stitching it up, it was something he'd had plenty of practise on doing when he himself got injured. He'd stopped letting Alfred do it, he wanted to get used to having to do it himself. When the gunshot wound had been properly stitched he put some clean bandages on it, at least it was no longer life threatening. She'd be weak when she woke up, but she'd survive this time. Bruce decided he'd done all he could for her, he just had to wait for her to wake up. He didn't have any idea how long it'd take. After closing the cell door and locking it to be safe, he sat down at the Batcomputer and began to log the events that'd unfolded that night. Harley's current condition and whereabouts: injured and in custody, and The Jokers respective condition and whereabouts: unknown and unknown.

It had been nearly an hour until he heard her gently moan as she woke up. He swivelled around in his chair and saw her open her eyes, he'd forgotten how gentle their blueness could be when they weren't glaring at him. She tried to sit up slowly and winced in pain, clutching at her left shoulder, her hand over the bandages. "You're safe, I've stitched and bandaged the wound. You'll live" Bruce said as he got up, walking back over to her cell. She groaned again, the colour starting to return to her face, gradually "ugh, where am I?" she said softly as she looked around the cave. "You're in the Batcave" he replied "I had to bring you here to save you, I'll take you into the GCPD tomorrow morning. For now, it'd be best if you slept, you need your strength. Sleep down here tonight". He unlocked the cell door and went inside, standing opposite her as she sat up straight, unable to move anymore.

"Batsy...what happened to me?" She mumbled, something about her behaviour seemed different. She seemed more like how he remembered her as Harley Quinzel rather than how she was now as Harley Quinn. "A GCPD officer accidentally shot you as you tried to escape, you fell off the roof. I caught you, brought you here and stitched you up". Another groan escaped her lips and she buried her face in her hands. This was odd, even for her. It was almost like she was back as Harleen all of a sudden. He wished he could do something to help her, be there for her...anything. She had always been very affectionate towards him when they were together, he could always cheer her up just by being with her whenever she felt down or had had a bad day at work. She rose to her feet slowly, wincing in pain again and clutching at her shoulder with her right hand. She stretched her hands above her head and quickly brought them back down to her bandages. He saw that there was a large red patch getting larger and larger on her bandage. She'd pulled at her stitches as she stretched. She moaned in pain and sat back down on her bed, becoming quite distressed as she bled through the bandage. He pulled the first aid kit back towards him saying "It's ok Harley, it's ok. I'll have to stitch it again". He pulled out another needle and pulled the bandage off, she was bleeding profusely again.

She winced and shifted uncomfortably as he stitched up her wound again, applying another clean bandage over it when he was done and throwing the blood soaked one away. She looked at him gratefully when he had finished and smiled at him. "Thanks Batsy...why're you being so nice to me...after everything that I've done to you?". He stood up and put the first aid kit away. He longed to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything was going to be ok, just like how he did when she was his girlfriend. He crouched down in front of her, so his face was level with hers. "Because you don't have to do what he says, Harley. You're better than him...you don't need him at all". She looked down sadly and a single tear trickled down her cheek. He never could stand to see her crying. She looked back up at him and more tears followed the first "Why? What else have I got? I've done too much bad for anyone to even look at me without screaming? Who else do I have?". She began to cry harder and sobbed into her hands.

He thought about his next move for a second, he didn't know what it was but something about how she'd been when he'd got her home had made him trust her. He felt just the same about her as he had when they were together. He looked down and then looked back up at her, "Me...you have me Harley". She looked up at him with a look of curiosity in her big blue eyes. Slowly, knowing what he was risking, he lifted his hands up to his cowl and lifted it off, revealing his face fully to her. She gasped and her mouth hung slightly open as she saw the face of her ex boyfriend, "B-Bruce? Oh my god...it can't be...". He tossed his cowl aside

 _To be continued_

 **Authors Notes: Hi guys, this is my first story and I'm hoping it gets some support. Sorry to leave it where I did but I promise it will all make sense soon enough. I will explain Harley's drastic character changes later and I promise it will make sense, it'll be a plot point later on. Please review my story so I know what you guys want to see next, I know where this is going for a long time so I just have to write it all down. Enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"No, no, no! You're not...you can't be..." she cried as it began to finally sink in. She shook her head, her pigtails whipping around her head. He nodded grimly, "I'm sorry Harley but...I'm Batman. I was even when we were together, I couldn't tell you...at least not then. I promise you I was going to tell you". She simply pulled him closer and hugged him tightly, wrapping her arms around him as more tears began to fall down her face. He simply held her as she sobbed into his shoulder. When she appeared to calm a little he pulled her off his shoulder so he could look at her, "Now that you know, you may as well sleep in Wayne Manor tonight. We're under it, the elevator is over there". He gestured over his shoulder and she looked behind him, seeing the elevator that led up to his home. She sniffed and nodded gently. He put her arm over his wide shoulder and helped her to limp over and into the elevator. She was lost in thought as it began to ascend and she looked down at the Batcave which was growing smaller and smaller. She sighed deeply and her eyes fluttered shut while she thought deeply, her head lolling against his shoulder.

She opened her eyes to a familiar setting: one of the many wings of Wayne Manor. He let go of her and steadied her, she'd been on her feet long enough now to be able to stand on her own. She smiled at him with sad eyes and he said to her, "Take any room you want, I'll check on you once I've had a shower". She nodded and walked away, turning back and looking over her shoulder, a pained expression shooting through her face, "Can I sleep with you Bruce? I just don't want be alone...that's all. I might wake up with my shoulder and need you...". He thought for a second; he still trusted her, she seemed to have made a slight behavioural change again. He nodded saying, "Ok then, remember where it is?". She smiled and replied, "Ya, course I do. I'll go have shower.". She smiled at him and wandered towards his bedroom, getting into the shower and replacing the bandage when she got out. He went to his room about half an hour later to find her sat on the bed still in her jester costume, her hair still slightly wet from the shower but out of her signature pigtails. It now fell freely behind her back. "Don't you want to get changed Harley? I think I might still have some of your clothes from when you used to stay here. Wear anything you can find". "Thanks Bruce, I will" she replied and stood up as he went into the bathroom and got into the shower.

He came back out a few minutes later wearing nothing but a fresh pair of boxers like he always did. Harley was lay in bed wearing one of his shirts, she hadn't wanted to go through all the rooms looking for some of her old clothes. It was very big and loose fitting on her, coming down to halfway between her knees and her hips, not that he could see due to her being covered up by the blankets. Harley was lay with her head in the pillows and her eyes shut peacefully, they opened when she felt Bruce climb into bed next to her. She smilies and turned over to face him, she was so close to him. "Thanks for letting me stay here Bruce, I've missed you" she said with a smile that made her eyes light up. He smiled back at her and nodded, he could feel her smooth legs and even her thighs against his own, he guessed that the shirt was all she was wearing. She smirked at him and said coyly "Mr J would hate to see me lay in bed with you like this wouldn't he". Bruce nodded slightly and replied, "Yes he probably would. Harley, are you sure that you don't want any clothes?". She smirked even more and said, "He'd hate it even more if he saw this". She quickly winked at him and then she was kissing him passionately. He pulled her closer to him and deepened their kiss, feeling her hands run over his muscular chest. Bruce began to pull her shirt over her head just as he felt Harley's head reaching inside his boxers.

It wasn't just the night of sex that made Bruce finally realised how much he'd missed her, it was just having her in bed with him, close to him. She slept next to him without making so much as a single sound, he didn't know what her life was like with The Joker but he could only guess that it was horrible. While she lay naked next to him he could finally see the bruises that dominated the majority of her pale skin. They ranged from a pale brown to a deep purple and were littered everywhere from her slender arms and legs to down her back and her breasts. Bruce couldn't even begin to imagine what that monster was doing to her. At least she was finally back with him...safe. While he waited for her to wake up he turned on the news on the TV, muting the sound so that he wouldn't disturb her. He felt rage bubbling inside him as he saw what was breaking. He couldn't get any of the finer details due to the lack of sound but The Joker was burning multiple buildings to the ground in downtown Gotham, demanding that Harley Quinn was returned to him immediately. She'd have just disappeared to him and he wouldn't have known what happened. Harley began to slowly stir awake next to him so he quickly turned off the TV, not wanting her to see.

Harley sat up slightly and yawned, stretching her arms and legs and rubbing her eyes as the daylight poured in from around the curtains. She clung to his arm and smiled st him, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. "Good morning Bruce...I had so much fun last night". He stroked her hair gently, "I did too, I'm glad you slept well". Eh tried his best to act calm but she could tell that something was bothering him. "Bruce, you look strange...is something wrong?" He shook his head and looked down. He didn't want to scare or influence her but at the same time he knew that he couldn't lie to her. He simply nodded and turned over, switching the TV back on. Her eyes widened as she saw what The Joker was doing to get to her. She bit her lip and sighed saying, "I...I have to go. He's doing this to get me. We can't let him hurt all those people when I can stop it". She began to plead with him, knowing that he would say no, "Please Bruce! Please! I have to do this". He thought for a few seconds and then finally gave in, nodding and taking her hand. "Ok Harley, ok. You can go if you want. Just...just promise me that you're coming back". She nodded and got out of bed, picking up her jester costume and pulling the tight material on. It was almost like a second skin on her. She suddenly had an idea and pulled a pen and paper and quickly wrote down the address to the House of Cards club. She handed it to Bruce and said, "Here, this is where J and I hang out between jobs. Pay me a visit sometime". Bruce took the paper and looked at it, he recognised it as a strip club in a rough part of the city but he didn't realise it was owned by Joker. He told her that he would come down and make sure she was ok and with that, she left him alone in the Manor.

 _To be continued_

 **Authors Notes: Thanks so much reading this chapter. I'd love yours to be my first review so please click the button and give me some feedback.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Authors Notes: Hey guys, sorry that this chapter probably won't be as big as the other three but I promise the next one will be a good one. I promise you won't expect what's coming. Also I'd just like to say that I only take credit for half of this story, other half goes to my roleplay partner. Hope you enjoy and please leave me my first review!**

Bruce knew how odd it'd look for him to be seen going into a strip club but he knew if this is what he had to do to try and save Harley then he was willing to do it. He'd just try and be a little careful about who saw him there. The press knew that he was single and he was aware of the speculation about who he was currently dating, which he wasn't. He'd only had one girlfriend since Harley ran off with The Joker but she was long gone, he didn't even know when she'd come back to Gotham. He knew she would though. He picked out his most expensive Lamborghini and headed for the address that Harley had left for him...only a few days had passed since she'd stayed at the Manor and he hoped she was ok. It took him a few minutes to get to the club, he'd heard about it before but he'd never had to go as Batman; that's why he was so surprised to find it was The Joker's base of operations. Above the front door there was a green neon sign reading "The House of Cards" with a picture of a stacked house of cards above. He should've guessed that The Joker was using this place.

It only took him within five seconds of entering the club to realise why he didn't go to places like it. The people inside didn't look too far apart from those he'd stop from mugging and raping in the dark, lonely alleyways of Gotham. There were tables on either side of the room with a walkway leading up to a gathering of comfy chairs facing the main stage. Bruce sat down at the bar and ordered himself a drink, nobody so far had seemed to recognise him as Bruce Wayne. His eyes wandered over to the main stag and he saw who was seductively coiling and twirling herself around the pole: Harley. He watched her for a few seconds, a slight smile on his face. As she continued her little show, she looked up at her audience and spotted Bruce sat at the bar, giving him a small smile and a mischievous wink. She finished a few moments later and retreated back behind the curtain, ready for another dancer to take her place. Bruce turned back away from the pole and continued to sip his drink when he felt a slender hand running down his neck and moving down to his shoulder from behind. He turned around to see Harley leaning into him, a coy smile on her face, "Wanna go somewhere more private, Brucie?". He nodded quickly and stood up with her, following behind her into a back room as other men wolf whistled at her when she passed.

The back room was just a small room with an old couch and a scruffy carpet, but at least they knew they'd have privacy to talk there. She pushed him down onto the couch and sat in his lap, leaning in and kissing him which he returned deeply. When they broke apart a few seconds later he ran a hand brought her hair and gently and asked her if she'd been okay since he'd last seen her. She smiled and lay her head against his chest replying, "I'm fine, I've been safe. Ivy came here to see me a few days ago. Mr J had me and her out on a little show for everyone". She giggled and sighed happily. He'd never really had a problem with her seeing Ivy, he knew that Ivy her well (Better than The Joker did anyway). "What kind of show?" he asked, kissing the top of her head. "A very sexy kind of show..." she said with a small smile, giving her signature Harley Quinn giggle. She stayed like that for a few minutes without speaking, just curled up against his chest. She missed when she would just lie in his arms and fall asleep with her head against his chest.

Bruce didn't want to ruin the moment, he loved her when she lay in his arms and leant against him...but he needed to ask her. "Harley, is Joker planning anything soon? If you tell me then I promise he won't know. I'll make sure you're safe, I promise". She looked up at him through her lashes and but her lip softly before slowly nodding her head. "Uh huh...he's going to rob Ace Chemicals, he's trying to make some more Joker toxin. He can't know that I told you, I don't know what he'd do...". He assured her that everything would be fine and she sighed again in contentment, laying her head back against his chest. After about ten minutes Harley told Bruce that she should be getting back, she didn't want anyone to get suspicious of her being here for so long with someone that she wasn't supposed to have any connections with. They stood up and left together, she caught hold of his hand as they entered the main room again, this did not go unnoticed. Sitting alone in a chair in his office and looking at them through the window in the door was The Joker. He glared at them and felt anger flooding through him, he couldn't risk his Harley running off with some rich guy.

A few days had passed before Bruce began to consider when Harley's warning would need to be heeded, The Joker hadn't been seen in days and seemed to be laying low. He was just about to go down to the cave and check his records on Harley and Joker when Alfred caught him. "Master Bruce, do you have a moment sir? There's something you should see. The board of directors at Wayne Enterprises have just called. They're questioning your future at the company due to possible ties to the criminal underworld." Bruce looked at him, shocked and said, "What? What ties?". In response, Alfred merely held up that mornings newspaper. On the front page was a picture of Bruce with Harley Quinn sat in his lap, kissing him deeply.

 _To be continued_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Author's notes: Hi everyone, just wanted to say thank you for the reviews that have been left so far. They've all been so nice; hope there's more to come :-). Don't worry, here will be an explanation as to why Harley acts so weirdly this chapter. It'll all make sense in Chapter 6.**

Above the photo was the headline, "Is Bruce Wayne Playing With Crime?". Bruce stared at it in disbelief and Alfred continued, "Stock is plummeting in value and investors are pulling out of the company. You need to address this, sir...before this gets any worse.". Bruce shook his head, "I can't abandon Harley, she needs me. Contact the paper, try and buy the rights to the photo from them. If we own it then we can stop this spreading any further. Joker is going to rob Ace Chemicals soon, I'm going to try and get her away from him then. If people can see that she isn't a bad person then she can be accepted again." Alfred nodded and Bruce went back down to the cave, going over his records again.

That evening, Bruce got an alert in the cave: an alarm had been tripped at Ace Chemicals. As fast as he could he raced to put on the Batsuit and get in the car. He needed to stop them, he needed to save her. She was all he could think of as he drove over to the chemical plant, she'd told when where they would be so she must want him to help her...didn't she? He just needed to make sure that The Joker didn't find out that she'd told him; he'd already seen that he was hitting her and didn't want to think about what else he could do to her. The Batmobile sped along the narrow streets of Gotham at its usual pace: illegally fast. He lost track of how long it was taking him to get there, he was lost in thought about tarted thinking about when they were together, they'd met when he was being given a tour of Arkham Asylum. Wayne Enterprises was giving them extra funding so he'd asked to see inside and she'd been the one that had shown him around. She was new there at the time, only having been there a little over a month. They were, at least, physically attracted to each other straight away but as the day continued they hit it off straight away. Bruce asked her to go for a drink with him that night and within two weeks they were dating. They'd never moved in together though. It didn't feel like it'd been a year since all that had happened.

Bruce was met with a familiar sight when he got to Ace Chemicals, the building was alive with flashing lights and blaring alarms. However, this time he could see The Joker on the roof...like he wanted to be spotted. Batman aimed and fired his grapple gun at the roof and shot up, climbing onto the flat, open roof of the chemical plant. When he climbed onto the roof, he saw The Joker stood in front, gun in hand with Harley stood behind him with her baseball bat in her hand. She seemed to be glaring at Bruce with a hateful glint in her eyes. "So Bats, you think you can take my girl from me do you? She wouldn't have fallen off that roof if you wouldn't have shown up". He fired off a shot at Batman which he easily dodged. Joker tossed the gun aside and charged at Batman. Bruce used his momentum against him, licking him up and sending him flying through the air where he landed in a heap next to where the gun landed, not moving.

Harley immediately ran at Bruce, with the bat raised over her head. She caught him off guard and slammed it against his chest, sending him stumbling backwards with a grunt of pain. He looked up at her, trying to meet her gaze, "Harley...it's me...what're you doing?". She glared at him and yelled, "Die Batsy!", before taking another swing at him. He snatched the bat from her and threw it over the side of the roof, out of her reach. Suddenly, he heard a gunshot coming from behind him and knew that The Joker must have gotten up. He turned around to see Joker lying on his front wildly firing his gun at him. Bruce began to run to the side to dodge the bullets when he heard a muffled scream in pain and shock. He turned back to see Harley with a hand over her chest, blood gushing from her hand. Joker tried to crawl over to her, saying, "Harley, baby...I'm so...". He wasn't able to finish however as Bruce's boot connected with the side of his head, sending him sprawling unconscious across the roof. Harley began to wail in pain before passing out from blood loss. Bruce ran over to her and checked her pulse, it was slowing...but still there. He got onto his comms system and yelled, "Alfred, call the GCPD...and get me an ambulance!".

 _To be continued_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Batman made sure to stay by Harley's side as the ambulance got them to Gotham General Hospital; she hadn't woken up since she collapsed in his arms after she'd been shot. She looked unnaturally small on the stretcher in the ambulance, her makeup had been washed off by a medic and they could all see how pale her skin was now. She wouldn't have long if they didn't operate on her soon. She let out a low, painful moan every time the ambulance turned or hit a bump in the road. Even through the stony face he always had to put on as Batman, Bruce was terrified that something could happen to her. A few minutes later, they got to the hospital and she was immediately rushed into emergency surgery. He spoke to her Doctor and told him that he wanted to speak to her when she came out of surgery, he agreed and left to tend to his patient. It took a couple of hours due to the severity of her gunshot wound but she came out of surgery alive and well and her bed was taken to a room in the hospital, hers was the only bed in there. Batman stood over her as she lay unconscious, her doctor came over to speak to him after the surgery. He stood next to Bruce and looked at her, saying, "We found something strange on her while we were operating on her. Her brain, it seems as though electro shock therapy has been applied a few times to modify her behaviour. We think it's going to affect her memory temporarily when she wakes up, we've no idea how much she'll have lost. Obviously I don't know for sure, but it looks like every time she started to question Joker, he shocked her brain to make her...behave. Poor girl" he shook his head and left, leaving the two of them alone.

It was only about half an hour until she woke up, her baby blue eyes fluttered open and they scanned around, going wide with fear and surprise. She sat up quickly and saw Batman standing next to her. "What's going on...why am I in hospital? B-Batman...why're you here?". She started to breathe heavily as she was obviously panicking. He put a hand on her shoulder, "You're safe Dr Quinzel, you're in the hospital. You've been shot but you'll live. Is there anyone that I can call for you, family or anyone?". Her eyes went wide again and she wriggled in the bed in a panic before lying still. "S-shot? How was I?" She shook her head, trying to repress the thought, "...my parents are back in Brooklyn, they wouldn't be able to get here". She closed her eyes and shook her head, as if trying to not hunk about something. He reached out and touched her shoulder, trying to calm her still, "Try not to think about it...what was the last memory you have?". She looked up at him with wide eyes and sighed, a small smile coming over her face, "I'd just been on a date with my boyfriend, Bruce Wayne. The last thing I can remember is him dropping me off at my apartment...you could try calling him...". He nodded, telling her that he'd call Bruce before leaving her to rest. When he'd gone, she closed her eyes and slunk back under the covers.

About an hour later, Bruce had changed out of his Batsuit and into his normal clothes and was heading back to the hospital. It seemed as though she had no memory of Harley Quinn, she was back to Harleen Quinzel for now, he knew that she'd remember at some point though she'd remember and she'd need him. When he got up to her hospital room, she was asleep. He went over to her bed and placed his hand on her arm, gently shaking her awake. Her eyes went wide again and she flung her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. "Bruce, baby...I'm so sorry I worried you. I-I'm scared, I don't know what happened.", she started to cry into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and held her gently. He spoke to her gently, "You're safe now Harley, that's all that matters. You're going to be fine and you'll live". She bit her lip and looked up at him, shaking her head, "I just want to go home...can you take me home please?". He nodded, trying to comfort her still, "You can come home with me, I'll just go and ask your doctor when you can leave". He kissed her on the cheek and left to go find her doctor. The doctor told him that they'd done all they could for her during surgery and there was no point in keeping her nay longer, she'd just have to make sure she rested until she was fully healed. She was delighted when he told her she could go home with him and he helped her out to his car. She smiled softly and lay her head on his shoulder, her arm around his shoulder as he took some of her weight.

 _To be continued..._

 **Authors Notes: Hi guys, sorry there was a little wait for this one, I'm afraid this is how it'll be for the foreseeable future. Hope it was okay that this chapter was a little slower, I promise I'm building to something nice and big. Please leave me a review if you enjoyed!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Harley felt at home again in the Manor, it had barely changed since she'd last been there. She finally had something familiar in her life. She was back in his arms and she didn't want to move anywhere else every again. He had his arms wrapped around her tightly as they lay in bed together; she was nearly asleep as she lay with her head against his hard chest. He knew that he'd have to tell her eventually about what had happened to her, he knew how much it'd upset her though. He couldn't stand to see her upset after just getting her back in his life. Bruce heard her small voice murmur, "I love you Bruce". He smiled at her and kissed the top of her head, replying "I love you too. Goodnight, baby, you need to get some rest". A few minutes later he felt her go limp against him, her chest gently rising and falling as she slept. She seemed almost childlike, sleeping quietly like a toddler. Bruce fell asleep along with her, his head falling against her shoulder as his eyes closed. They slept peacefully, huddled together under the covers.

In the morning, Bruce woke when he was able to roll over in the bed. He opened his eyes to see that she wasn't there anymore. The sound of running water coming from the bathroom told him that she was just in the shower, he turned over and went straight back to sleep.

He was woken again when the bathroom door opened. He looked up and saw Harley coming back into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around her body and her wet blonde hair falling around her shoulders. She smiled at him, "Morning Bruce, I'm sorry if I woke you". He shook his head, "Don't worry about it, Alfred bought some clothes for you last night when I told him that you were coming back. They should be in the closet." She nodded and walked over to the closet, bending down and taking out a cute white sundress. She smiled as she held it against her chest, "It's perfect darling". She got dressed and kissed Bruce on the cheek, telling him she was going to go and make breakfast before leaving the room. He waited for a few more minutes before getting up. He stretched and went into the bathroom to get a shower. He followed her downstairs and went to the kitchen to see her and help her to cook.

After eating breakfast Harley was lay across Bruce's lap reading a book. He was gently stroking her hair, he'd been so happy for her. She'd needed a new start and that's exactly what she'd got. She had absolutely no memory of her year as Harley Quinn and he knew that she'd be heartbroken by what she'd been made to do in that year. It was something that he'd have to do eventually, he didn't want to hurt her but she deserved to know the truth, he didn't want to lie to her and he couldn't allow her to live a lie. He looked at her and put his arms around her, "Harley, can I talk to you please?" and she nodded, putting down her book and looking at him. "I know this is going to be difficult for you to understand baby, just listen to what I have to say please. I'm just going to say it how it is. For the past year, you've been a criminal called Harley Quinn. You were the Joker's girlfriend and he was keeping you with him by giving electroshock therapy to your brain." Her face was a mixture of confusion and hurt and she looked up at him, biting her lip as he continued. "He made you do bad things, he made you kill people and you were a dancer at his strip club. None of it is your fault baby, none of it was you". She looked at him with tears in her eyes and said "W-what? I don't know what you're talking about..." she started to cry, she still hadn't remembered so being told this had just frightened her. He wiped her eyes and held her close, "It's Ok Harley, I'm so sorry. Just pretend I didn't say that, just ignore me". She buried her face in his chest, sobbing into his shirt as he gently patted her on the back.

 **Author's Notes: Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Why not follow the story or leave me a review? Some interesting stuff is coming in the next few chapters so make sure you're ready when it drops. Hopefully it won't take as long as this one did, sorry about that by the way.**


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